Some days you win, and some days you... lose.

I had to make a tough decision. It was hard, it hurt, but it really had to be done.

After my late-night singing and dancing quilt-basting festival, I rolled my quilt up and popped it in a canvas bag to wait its turn on the hand quilting machine (me). Something seemed a little worrying, but it was late so I went to bed.

Well.


When I checked it I could see that I had badly treated this poor quilt. Unintentionally, but - instead of nice, smooth basted-ness, I'd made a saggy back that pushed wrinkles when you smoothed it. I adore this quilt and the colours, and I am not going to fight it very inch of the hand-quilting way. After these many years of quilting, I know when to fold 'em - the cards, that is - and to grit my teeth, pull it out and try again.

Five minutes of pulling out threads, careful stretching, and an hour of re-basting, and now it looks like it ought to. Here's its nice tight, erm backside:


(I am so in love with that farm fabric!)


I think the problem was that I was bed-basting what has become quite a large quilt, larger than the flat surface on the bed, using running stitches instead of safety pins. It's worked for me several times before, but on smaller quilts, with pins, and with less give in the batting (I'm using wool this time). I cleaned the floor and went back to the tried and tested method. You win some and you lose some.

... And then you lose some more - when I went to the gym yesterday, I discovered I've lost weight! Last year, I lost 10 kilos (20lbs) through a slow and safe routine, and I've kept most of it off all year. After a lifetime of battling my weight, it's great to know that my ideal weight is slowly, very slowly, coming within reach. Sometimes losing can be a good thing, too.

Love Fridays.

(more Love Fridays goodness can be found over at Big Cat's Emporium, along with Blogtoberfesting meister-kraft.)